[ITSF 5006]
Comparative Studies

The course materials are interesting and necessary if you want to go into the field. Obviously! All materials are interesting if you love reading. This class by Gita is unanimously agreed by students in class as one of the worst. The class is huge, and Gita is simply boring. English is her second language, even after living and working in the US for years, she is still difficult to understand sometimes. She's been working for years, so knows a lot about the work, but that doesn't translate into being a good teacher. She keeps talking about her work in teacher quality, while the class is overcrowded and monotonous. Plus, she is not that helpful when you go ask her during office hours. Her assignments are unclear, and when you ask, she gives you a general answer, and expect that you do it yourself to understand her grading style. A tough grader, she is good at giving you feedback for your work, but she cannot articulate it in person. It's disappointing that as the head of the department, she monopolizes this class and does not allow other teachers to teach it. After this class, nobody intends to take one single class with her, unless they have too. I hope she'll resign soon and the department will hire someone better.

Workload:

lots of reading, but some are useful. Assignments are unclear, and teacher does not provide enough clarification, nor helps students during office hours. Some students report that teacher seems to be succulent when you talk to her. Her TAs are also poorly informed of her expectations; communication is usually very poor between her and the students.